TESTING RECALL OF
CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK:
AN ACTION-RESEARCH
STUDY
BY JARED TRAVIS
TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK
DEFINED
Corrective feedback is –
• error treatment (Faneslow, 1977)
• a frequent component of in-class instruction (Lyster &
Ranta, 1997; Alwright, 1984; Norris & Ortega, 2000)
• used to correct a variety of errors in a variety of ways
(Chaudron, 1977; Lyster & Ranta, 1997)
CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK
DEFINED
Some researchers • argue against corrective feedback (Krashen, 1981, 1982;
Truscott, 2007)
• report limited effectiveness (Russell & Spada, 2006; Li,
2010)
However, corrective feedback has received tremendous
attention in L2 research.
PAST RESEARCH
Uptake ~
• Originally, uptake was what learners learned during class
(Alwright, 1984; Slimani, 1992)
• Uptake was redefined by Lyster & Ranta (1997)
•
•
If students responded to CF
If student repair occurred
• What forms of CF leads to most uptake?
•
•
Panova & Lyster (2002) showed that recast is the most
common form of CF but with limited uptake
more explicit forms of CF lead to most uptake.
PAST RESEARCH
Perception ~
• CF is not completely perceived by students.
•
Regarding corrected item types:
• Mackey, Gass & McDonough (2000) reported:
• Lexical items easily perceived (80%)
• Morphological items (13%)
•
Types of CF:
• Egi (2010) - 46% of recasts perceived
• Rassaei (2013)
• 33% recasts perceived
• 58% explicit CF perceived
PAST RESEARCH
Noticing ~
• CF enhances noticing (Li, 2010)
•
Adams (2003) using stimulated recall (video-recorded and
delayed) showed students need more than one
opportunity to notice and recall written reformulations
•
Philp (2003) using immediate recall indicated:
• short recasts are easier to recall than long recasts
• One recasted item easier to recall than multiple
recasted items
GAP IN RESEARCH
Stimulated recall and immediate recall has been used in past
studies to measure recall of CF.
But, there is no past L2 CF research that used delayed rote
recall of CF.
CURRENT STUDY
This study focuses on testing recall of corrective feedback
through action research (Alwright, 1984).
Action-research Design adapted from Calvert & Sheen (2014):
1) identifying the problem
2) initial action
3) examining the results
4) reflection and planning for further action
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
Student complaints during 2014 ITA ESL summer workshop:
• CF after an oral presentation was unclear, but ...
• CF could not be recalled by the student
What happens to CF once given by a teacher?
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
Research Questions:
1. After a performance, does the student recall corrective
feedback as evidenced within a feedback reflection form?
2. What are the characteristics of the recalled corrective
feedback?
3. To what extent does the student recall corrective feedback
as evidenced by the number of correct feedback items?
INITIAL ACTION
Twelve international teaching assistant (ITA) candidates
participated.
• China, Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Mexico
• All upper-intermediate to advanced learners
• Mid 20s to mid 40s
Students were assigned audio-recorded oral presentations
as part of in-class instruction or tutoring times followed with
CF.
• 5 students participated two times
INITIAL ACTION
Feedback Reflection Form was designed for students to write
down recalled CF (Slimani, 1992)
1. Initial form asked recall of 3 items
2. Modified form asked recall of all CF items
INITIAL ACTION
(1) Seven students filled out the
feedback reflection form for
homework due the next day of
class (initial feedback form)
(3)
(2)
(4)
INITIAL ACTION
(1) Seven students filled out the
feedback reflection form for
homework due the next day of
class (initial feedback form)
(3)
(2) Three students after tutoring
completed the feedback reflection
form for homework due the next
day of class (modified feedback
form)
(4)
INITIAL ACTION
(1) Seven students filled out the
feedback reflection form for
homework due the next day of
class (initial feedback form)
(3) Seven students were given
written CF. The following day, their
recall of the written CF was tested
(modified feedback form)
(2) Three students after tutoring
completed the feedback reflection
form for homework due the next
day of class (modified feedback
form)
(4)
INITIAL ACTION
(1) Seven students filled out the
feedback reflection form for
homework due the next day of
class (initial feedback form)
(2) Three students after tutoring
completed the feedback reflection
form for homework due the next
day of class (modified feedback
form)
(3) Seven students were given
written CF. The following day, their
recall of the written CF was tested
(modified feedback form)
(4) Five students listened to the
audio-recording of a previous
presentation and completed a followup feedback reflection form as
homework (modified feedback form)
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
All CF given was transcribed in brief.
Both transcribed CF and recalled CF was charted for side-byside comparison.
17 total transcripts were compiled
• 12 individual students
• 5 participated two times
• 5 did the follow-up
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Research Question 1.
After a performance, does the student recall corrective
feedback as evidenced within a feedback reflection form?
• Accuracies: in all instances but one, students reported at
least one item of CF.
• Inaccuracies: four types of inaccuracies were discovered in
student reports.
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Examples of accuracies:
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
lack of prominence in answering
questions
When I answer a question from a
student, I do not use as much
prominence as I do in my teaching
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Examples of accuracies:
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
lack of prominence in answering
questions
When I answer a question from a
student, I do not use as much
prominence as I do in my teaching
started speech paragraphs high and
ended high rather than ending low
Use high pitch when starting speech
paragraphs and low pitch when ending
the speech paragraphs
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Examples of accuracies:
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
lack of prominence in answering
questions
When I answer a question from a
student, I do not use as much
prominence as I do in my teaching
started speech paragraphs high and
ended high rather than ending low
Use high pitch when starting speech
paragraphs and low pitch when ending
the speech paragraphs
Saying ‘gross’ instead of ‘growth’
changes meaning which is not the topic;
‘thing’ not ‘sing’
Several pronunciation mistakes, eg
thing, growth
[in follow-up]
Correct pronunciation of growth,
species, thing, etc.
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Inaccuracies:
a) reporting incorrectly a specific error
b) reporting CF that was not ever provided
c) reporting vague remarks
d) and reporting non-CF items
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Inaccuracies:
a) reporting incorrectly a specific error
b) reporting CF that was not ever provided
c) reporting vague remarks
d) and reporting non-CF items
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
• reporting incorrectly a specific error
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Don’t end with an awkward pause; ask a I should have asked a teaching
question to wrap up the presentation
question in the middle of the teaching,
not after the teaching, in order to make
and keep students awake
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
• reporting incorrectly a specific error
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Don’t end with an awkward pause; ask
a question to wrap up the presentation
I should have asked a teaching
question in the middle of the teaching,
not after the teaching, in order to make
and keep students awake
Word stress errors on ‘previously’ and
pitch and tone error on ‘unfortunately’
corrected my pronunciation like
‘previously’ and ‘unfortunately’
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
• reporting incorrectly a specific error
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Don’t end with an awkward pause; ask
a question to wrap up the presentation
I should have asked a teaching
question in the middle of the teaching,
not after the teaching, in order to make
and keep students awake
Word stress errors on ‘previously’ and
pitch and tone error on ‘unfortunately’
corrected my pronunciation like
‘previously’ and ‘unfortunately’
Need falling tone on ‘itself’, the last
word in the list
strong prominence on ‘itself’
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
• reporting CF that was not ever provided
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Made 14 different corrections; no
reference to pitch
not good pitch is used
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
reporting CF that was not ever provided
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Made 14 different corrections; no
reference to pitch
not good pitch is used
Made 5 different corrections; no
reference to speech paragraphs
[in follow-up]
Need to pay attention on beginning
new paragraphs and end with a low
pitch.
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
• reporting CF that was not ever provided
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Made 14 different corrections; no
reference to pitch
not good pitch is used
Made 5 different corrections; no
reference to speech paragraphs
[in follow-up]
Need to pay attention on beginning
new paragraphs and end with a low
pitch.
Made 11 different corrections; no
reference to transition words
I need to use transition words to move
one point to another.
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Research Question 1.
After a performance, does the student recall corrective
feedback as evidenced within a feedback reflection form?
• Answer: students can recall some elements of corrective
feedback, but the recall test showed many inaccuracies.
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Research Question 2.
What are the characteristics of the recalled corrective
feedback?
• Generic reports with no connection between recalled CF
and specific error
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Give falling tone on this utterance
ending ‘species are’ and ‘Fungi’ needs
a falling tone if at the end of utterance.
Tones (varied)
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Give falling tone on this utterance
ending ‘species are’ and ‘Fungi’ needs
a falling tone if at the end of utterance.
Tones (varied)
Make eye contact with the whole class
Eye contact
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Give falling tone on this utterance
ending ‘species are’ and ‘Fungi’ needs
a falling tone if at the end of utterance.
Tones (varied)
Make eye contact with the whole class
Eye contact
Word stress by running through a few
syllables quickly
Word stress
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Give falling tone on this utterance
ending ‘species are’ and ‘Fungi’ needs
a falling tone if at the end of utterance.
Tones (varied)
Make eye contact with the whole class
Eye contact
Word stress by running through a few
syllables quickly
Word stress
Follow the required Q & A cycle; no
paraphrasing or confirming answer
No paraphrasing
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Teacher corrective feedback:
Student reported:
Give falling tone on this utterance
ending ‘species are’ and ‘Fungi’ needs
a falling tone if at the end of utterance.
Tones (varied)
Make eye contact with the whole class
Eye contact
Word stress by running through a few
syllables quickly
Word stress
Follow the required Q & A cycle; no
paraphrasing or confirming answer
No paraphrasing
At end of statement/sentence, falling
tone is needed. Give rising tone on
‘database’ since location in middle of
sentence. Corrected early rising tone
on ‘McLaughlin says’.
“[Instructor] pointed my mistake in
using tone. And he asked me to
differentiate the rising tone, falling tone
and level tone.
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Research Question 3.
To what extent does the student recall corrective feedback as
evidenced by the number of correct feedback items?
• The total number of teacher CF items and recalled items
were tabulated in approach two and three.
• Exclusions: approach one recalled CF, approach four
(follow-up), and inaccuracies.
EXAMINING THE RESULTS
Table 1
Comparison of Corrective Feedback Items and Recalled Items
Teaching
Corrective
Student
Recalled
Context
Feedback items
Tutoring
In class
% recalled
1
7
0
0%
2
19
5
26%
3
19
2
11%
4
21
5
24%
5
11
3
27%
6
23
14
61%
7
14
5
36%
8
12
6
50%
9
9
4
44%
10
14
4
29%
REFLECTION AND PLANNING
FOR FURTHER ACTION
1. The results show that students are unable to recall large
or detailed portions of CF.
Do you as the teacher desire to use CF?
If so, consider:
•
•
•
•
explaining that CF (oral and written) is a type of instruction
the extent it is essential students pay attention to CF
if CF will be used for later application
how students need to treat that CF
REFLECTION AND PLANNING
FOR FURTHER ACTION
2. Students need to be trained to notice CF, especially the
corrective nature in response to an error.
REFLECTION AND PLANNING
FOR FURTHER ACTION
3. As part of the training of CF, maintaining a connection with
the CF and the specific error source may help with later
production.
REFLECTION AND PLANNING
FOR FURTHER ACTION
3. As part of the training of CF, maintaining a connection with
the CF and the specific error source may help with later
production.
Corrective feedback example connected to specific error source.
Teacher corrective feedback:
Give prominence on key word
‘porosity’
Student recall should not be...
need prominence
Should be ...
I need prominence on ‘porosity’. It’s
the key word.
REFLECTION AND PLANNING
FOR FURTHER ACTION
4. In light of the preceding three points of reflection, a
teacher who decides to employ CF needs to consider
requiring students record CF.
•
•
•
•
In their textbook
Their course notebook
Separate CF journal
Test recall of CF daily
QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
THANK YOU!